Chrome vs Edge: Can Edge Run Every Chrome Extension?

Chrome vs Edge: which one should you use?

Choose Chrome if your work lives in Google accounts and you want extensions to behave exactly as their developers tested them. Choose Edge if you are on Windows, use Microsoft 365, and like more features built in so you need fewer add-ons.

For extension users specifically, the gap is smaller than most comparisons suggest. Both browsers share the Chromium engine, the same extension platform (Manifest V3), and the same permission model. The real differences sit around the edges: where extensions sync, which store updates them, and how much the browser does without any extension at all.

If you want the short answer on extensions: anything you install from the Chrome Web Store will most likely work in Edge too. The rest of this guide covers the cases where it will not, and how to decide which browser to live in.

Why can Edge run Chrome extensions at all?

Edge switched to Google's open-source Chromium engine in 2020, so it understands the same extension APIs Chrome does. An extension package from the Chrome Web Store is, in most cases, a valid Edge extension without any changes.

Before that switch, Edge used Microsoft's own EdgeHTML engine and had a tiny add-on catalogue. That history is why older articles still claim Edge has few extensions. It is no longer true: the Edge Add-ons store has its own catalogue, and the entire Chrome Web Store is one toggle away.

Sharing an engine does not make the browsers identical. Microsoft removes or replaces Google services inside Chromium (sync, sign-in, Safe Browsing, the AI assistant) with its own. Extensions that call those Google-specific services are the ones that trip up, which is the key to predicting what breaks.

How do you install Chrome extensions in Edge?

Allow extensions from other stores once, then install from the Chrome Web Store the same way you would in Chrome. The whole process takes under a minute.

1. In Edge, type edge://extensions in the address bar and press Enter.
2. In the left pane, switch on Allow extensions from other stores, then click Allow in the confirmation.
3. Open the Chrome Web Store and find the extension you want.
4. Click Add to Chrome. Edge intercepts this and shows its own Add extension prompt with the permission list.
5. Review the permissions, then click Add extension.
6. Pin it by clicking the puzzle-piece Extensions icon in the toolbar and choosing Show in toolbar.

Our step-by-step guide to installing Chrome extensions in Microsoft Edge covers screenshots, work-managed PCs where the toggle is locked, and how to move an existing Chrome setup across.

Moving browsers? Edge can import bookmarks, passwords and history from Chrome during setup or later from Settings > Profiles > Import browser data. Extensions are not always carried across by import, so plan to reinstall your essentials by hand and take the chance to drop the ones you no longer use.

Which Chrome extensions don't work in Edge?

The ones that fail in Edge usually depend on Google sign-in, Chrome-only browser services, or a check that insists the browser is Chrome. Ordinary page tools, blockers, password managers and developer utilities almost always work.

If an extension installs but a feature silently fails, the first test is to sign in through the extension's own website rather than a browser-level Google prompt. The second is to check whether the developer publishes an Edge Add-ons version, which will have been tested against Edge.

Some websites, rather than extensions, behave differently in Edge. A user-agent switcher can confirm whether a site is sniffing the browser name; see the picks section below.

Do extensions get the same permissions in Edge and Chrome?

Yes. The same manifest declares the same permissions in both browsers, and both show similar install warnings such as 'Read and change all your data on all websites'. Switching browsers does not make a risky extension safer.

Both browsers also give you the same control after install. Open the extension's Details page (chrome://extensions or edge://extensions) and set Site access to On click, On specific sites or On all sites. Limiting an extension that only needs one site, such as a meeting tracker, is the single best privacy move in either browser.

• Password managers like LastPass need all-site access to autofill; that is expected, so pick one you trust.
• Ad blockers need broad access to filter every page; the risk is the same in both browsers.
• Single-site tools such as a Google Meet attendance tracker or a Salesforce helper can be restricted to one domain without losing features.
• Userscript managers can run any code you add, so the scripts you install matter more than the browser you use.

Where the browsers differ is the default data they send home. Chrome ties sync and some features to Google; Edge ties them to Microsoft and adds its own shopping and news features, several of which you can switch off in Settings > Privacy, search, and services. Read our extension permissions explainer to decode each warning before you click Add.

What does Edge build in that Chrome needs an extension for?

Edge ships more tools out of the box, so an Edge user often needs fewer extensions. Chrome keeps the core lean and leaves more to the Web Store, which suits people who prefer choosing their own tools.

Built-in features have one advantage over extensions: they do not need all-site permissions from a third party. If Edge already does what an extension would, the built-in option is usually the lower-risk choice.

The flip side is clutter. Edge's sidebar, shopping prompts and Copilot button are on by default, and some people spend their first hour switching them off. Chrome's Gemini features are also expanding, so both browsers now reward a quick settings review after install.

Do Chrome and Edge differ on cost or ad blocking?

Both browsers are free, and paid extensions cost the same in either because you pay the developer, not the browser. The bigger difference for blockers is how each browser handles the move from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3.

Chrome has completed its switch to Manifest V3, which is why the original uBlock Origin no longer runs there and uBlock Origin Lite exists instead. Microsoft has published its own Manifest V2 phase-out timeline for Edge. If a legacy extension still works in Edge today, treat that as temporary and check Microsoft's current schedule.

Freemium extensions

Tools like AdBlock and LastPass keep the same free and paid tiers in both browsers; your account follows you.

Free open-source tools

Dark Reader, Vimium and Tampermonkey are free in both, and their settings can usually be exported and imported between browsers.

Store fees

Neither store charges users to install. Any price shown comes from the extension developer.

Who should pick Chrome, and who should pick Edge?

Match the browser to the account you already live in. The extension catalogue is effectively shared, so accounts, sync and built-in features decide it.

Pick Chrome if

You use Gmail, Google Docs and a Google account on several devices, run ChromeOS, rely on extensions that sign in with Google, or want behaviour that matches the developer's primary test browser.

Pick Edge if

You work on Windows with a Microsoft 365 or school account, want vertical tabs, Immersive Reader and a screenshot tool built in, or manage a Windows fleet with Microsoft's policy tools.

Use both if

You want to separate work and personal life. Many people keep work in Edge with a Microsoft account and personal browsing in Chrome, each with a smaller, tidier extension list.

Stay where you are if

Your current browser works and your extensions all behave. Switching only for speed rarely changes much, since both run the same engine.

Developers and admins have one extra reason to keep Chrome around: DevTools extensions and admin-console tools are usually documented against Chrome first, and bug reports are easier when you use the browser the developer tests against.

Which extensions work the same in Chrome and Edge?

These picks rely on standard Chromium features, so they are strong candidates to behave the same in both browsers. Each links to a full profile with permissions and trade-offs.

Browse the full extension directory for more picks, or read how we evaluate extensions before trusting a tool with all-site access. More browser guides live on the Find Extensions blog.